Surprise, there's another one!

Chapter 7

Ivy's POV

I put my phone back into my pocket and quickly put the bag that has clothes in by the mattress. I look over at Charli, who's talking to Chase and James. I take a breath and work up the courage to walk over to them, and tap Charli on the shoulder.

Char, mum just text me. I forgot that I have a tap class over facetime in ten minutes, where can I go to do it? I don't want to get in anybody's way, or interrupt anything. I sign, feeling my cheeks heat up an embarrassing amount and I internally cringe at myself.

Charli smiles at me and stands up. "Lets go find a place. Guys I'll be back in a minute, Ivy just has to get ready for something."

"How come you've got a class? I thought you just got back from one." Charli asks, walking next to me. I had a private and technique class at the studio. This class is tap from my teachers in England, I explain and Charli nods.

"How about here?" she asks, motioning to a corner of the living room.

I don't want to get in people's way. I feel like I'd be interrupting them. Charli just laughs and pulls me into a hug.

"Ivy, you won't be interrupting anything. If anything you'd make them get off of their phone, which would be a good thing. Everyone here spends entirely too much of the time staring at a screen!"

I chuckle, yeah but isn't that like the entire point of this house? To create content and be on your phones all the time?

"True! Still, it won't kill them to get off their phones for like an hour," she says, walking over to the corner of the room. "Do you need to get changed or are you doing it in that?"

I look down at my over-sized hoodie and leggings and think. I'll think put a leotard on under the leggings and change jumpers. I'm not going to wear a crop top around these people, cause that comes with showing my stomach which comes with questions and I'm currently not in the mood to deal with that. I inhale deeply. Could you drag that mat out and put the dance floor thing on top of it? I ask Charli and she nods.

After getting changed, I walk back into the living room to be met with two people shouting at each other. Daisy and Thomas were yelling about who knows what, Charli looked over at me and pulled a face, which I quickly returned. I have no idea what they're shouting about, all I know is that I don't want to be caught up in it. Charli's set up my travel dance floor in the corner, and I walk over, grabbing my laptop on the way.

Tying my shoes up, I log in and set the call up, ready to begin.

I've been dancing since I was two. My mum put me in classes when my dad died so she was able to work another job. I used to go to competitions with my studio when I was three, and when I had just turned five, I started competing.

For me, dance started off as daycare; I just thought of it as a game. But then as time went on, my mother got another boyfriend that she married. Dance became an escape. No four year old should need an escape, but apparently I did.

My mum came to three competitions before she passed away, leaving me with my stepfather. That was when I was five, and was also when I realised dance was where I could be safe and be myself. As the years went on, when I wasn't at school, I was at dance. I got my stepfather to sign me up for as many classes as possible. He was thrilled because I was out of the house, and I was thrilled because I got to do something I truly loved, whilst getting away from him.

I did all types of dance, and still do all of them. My classes have obviously cut down considerably; I now have a home I feel safe in, as well as people I can be myself around.

Whenever I'm stressed, whenever I'm anxious, whenever anything happens, I dance. I can let my emotions out without talking, in a way I really enjoy. When I dance I can be myself. It's like my past and anxiety and everything else has gone away. It takes me to a different place, and everyone around me disappears.

Despite everything happening quickly, like Charli becoming really quite popular, dance slows everything down, and puts everything into perspective.

When Charli blew up, I realised that things would change. However, what I didn't realise, is just how quickly and how dramatically everything would change. I stayed out of the way, that was my choice. I didn't want people from when I was younger to recognise me, and when I asked my social workers, they agreed. Charli, understandably, wasn't that happy about it. She wanted to be herself, which I understood.

What's the point of putting on a fake act for people you don't even know?

There isn't a point. It's as simple as that. After telling our parents about what was happening to Charli, I told them what I wanted to do, and they agreed.

For the first time in about two years, our family was in a good place.

That's one of the main reasons I didn't want Dixie and Charli to say anything to the house. Everything would change for me again, and I wasn't quite ready for that to happen.

I wasn't expecting to come here this evening, but in a way I'm kind of glad. Everything is starting to change again, but when something starts to change, it just means that the new normal is closer than it was before.

I like normal, normal makes me feel safe. New normal takes a bit of getting used to, but I like to think that everything happens for a reason. Without change, I wouldn't be in a safe environment, I wouldn't be with people I actually like and can call my proper family. Change is hard to experience, but a majority of the time, the end turns out better than before.

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